According to Deadline Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl star Keira Knightley, Like Crazy's Felicity Jones, and Lost's Evangeline Lilly are up for the role of Dr. Cathy Muller Ryan. Keira Knightley is said to be the top choice to be paired up with Chris Pine. He is set to take on a role that has been previously played by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck.

Recently, it was confirmed that Paramount Pictures will be releasing their long in-development reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise in late 2013. Now, with filming expected to begin in a matter of weeks, Paramount have officially announced a December 25th, 2013 release date for the movie, which has Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner set to star. Kenneth Branagh (who's also playing the film's villain) will helm the reboot, which is said to be a prequel to the Tom Clancy novels. The story with revolve around Branagh's Russian antagonist plotting to destroy the US economy. The movie is expected to be the first of a trilogy.

Additionally, Kevin Costner, who will be playing a key character in Jack Ryan, will reprise that role in Paramount's spin-off Without Remorse, which has Christopher McQuarrie attached to direct. Chris Pine's This Means War co-star Tom Hardy has reportedly been courted by the studio to star in the spin-off. It appears that Paramount Pictures are planning on forming their own Tom Clancy film universe between the two potential film franchises (similar to what Marvel Studios have done with their build up to The Avengers). Without Remorse currently has no release date, but will likely be released shortly after Jack Ryan (if plans go well, of course).

Chris Pine already knows how to successfully fill the shoes of a movie icon, starring as James T. Kirk in 2009′s Star Trek. On Christmas 2013, he’ll become Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst who inevitably finds himself forced into dashing field heroics. Pine is sticking to what worked for him the first time around on Star Trek to make a first impression: riding a motorcycle.

In the just released image from Paramount, Pine’s younger, more stylish Ryan speeds through a city on a sporty Ducati motorcycle. In the new reboot, directed by Kenneth Branagh — who also stars as the villain — and co-starring Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner, Ryan is updated from his Cold War origins to the post 9/11 world. But he still might find himself coming face-to-face with some frisky Russians…